  Penguins forward Jordan Staal (right) runs into Wings goalie Chris Osgood on Saturday. (Sun Media/Dave Abel)
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PITTSBURGH -- Red Wings goalie Chris Osgood can see the light at the end of tunnel.
So too can the Penguins, but they're left to hope it's not the Detroit train carrying the Stanley Cup bearing down on them.
With the Penguins facing elimination on home ice in a Game 6 of the Cup final at the hands of the Wings for a second straight season, a loss tonight would be a bitter end to long season.
For the Red Wings, it's a lot sweeter: They are a win away from capturing their fifth Stanley Cup title since 1997.
"You get excited. Because you see the light down the tunnel. It's such a grind and battle for so long sometimes," said Osgood. "But it seems like it's going to take forever to get there. So when you're finally here you get excited. The anticipation is to want to go out and play your best game.
"You don't want to get too excited. We want to stay on an even keel. We've been here before with lots of games like this, so we know how to approach it. It's obviously a special game when you know you have a chance to win the Cup in one single hockey game."
That single win is all that stands in the way of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman making his way down the red carpet to hand the Cup over to Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom.
The Wings, of course, don't expect Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the rest of the Penguins to just roll over.
But with the Penguins coming off a 5-0 beatdown on Saturday in Game 5, few pundits are giving them much of a chance to win tonight and force a Game 7 Friday in Detroit.
So what will the Wings see from Pittsburgh?
"Desperation. When you lose a game and you don't play the way you want, you beat yourself up for a couple of days," Detroit coach Mike Babcock said. "Probably not hurt, but you want to be better. You want to be the best you can be. You analyze what you did wrong."
A Wings player who would like to get this over with is winger Marian Hossa. Last season, he sat on the Penguins' bench and watched Detroit celebrate. This season, he has the chance to join the festivities after joining the Wing as a free agent last summer.
"I made a decision and I hope it's the right one," said Hossa.
The Penguins were in a jovial mood following a 45-minute skate that ended with a breakaway competition, but they can only hope it's not their last practice of the season. They could promised to dig down deep.
"You're going to be desperate whether you're at home or on the road," said Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby. "And they're going to want to finish things off. It's the same for them, too. I think we're going to bounce back (from Saturday). We have all year."
All the Penguins can do is rely upon what made them successful all year.
"We don't approach this any differently than we have in the past. We have to stick with the plan and do the things that have made us successful," said Penguins winger Matt Cooke. "If we veer from that or stray from that, we're leaving the game up for chance. That's not something we want to do.
"Our backs are to the wall. I don't think that changes anything about the way we play. It just heightens the focus and the understanding that we're on our last life."
